5 Strategies For Recruiting the Best Team

For 10 years, Brian ran a staffing company in the state of Maryland placing physical, occupational and speech therapists. By the end of those 10 years, Brian averaged 5 to 7 interviews a week. At that time out of every five interviews, two people were worth the interview and one was worth the hire. 

Fast forward to today. Today’s employment market has new challenges than the ones Brian dealt with in the early 2000s. Insert unrealistic expectations, a lack of professionalism, lack of confidence and certainty in one’s own abilities, and a group mentality overall by today’s younger generation entering the rehabilitative market.  

 However, with rising student loan debt placing pressure on employers to offer higher salaries, it can easily become a race to the top as to who is going to offer the most money for the limited number of available candidates. In reality, that becomes a race to the bottom for you, the employer. Hiring individuals that are solely focused on money and income will result in nothing but ongoing headaches and continuous pressure within the employer-employee relationship.

In a recent podcast, Brian shared a story about a conversation with another top executive who said immediately following orientation, he tests his new hires by individually bringing them into his office and offering them one month salary for them to quit. Those who take the offer have saved you more headache and greater revenue loss than the one month salary you offered. I found it to be a very interesting concept to say the least. 

 Underneath the superficial concern for pay, time, and benefits comes the real core beliefs of: “am I going to learn and grow here,” or “will I be happy with the people in working with?” Your potential new hires who are asking themselves those questions are the only ones you want to invite onto your team.

But how do you find those candidates? Here are five recruiting strategies that are tried and true: 

1. A monthly staff referral program. Create form letters that your staff can sign and make minor alterations in order to send out to their friends or alumni networks. 

2. Digital media platforms – using the power of Facebook, Linkedin and Google Ads, as well as having an employment tab on your website so people can apply directly on your site. 

3. Professional online employment sites. Currently the top sites to be posting on would be ziprecruiter, indeed.com, PT jobs.com, therapyjobs.com, and state APTA websites. 

4. Work with multiple recruiters. Typically three recruiters – they cost you nothing and do the work for you.  Just make sure you negotiate that any permanent placement will not cost you more than $5000 and it will only be paid after the 90 day probationary period. Make sure the buyout amount is entered into the employee status sheet to be worked off during their first year of employment otherwise they pay the entire balance back to you. 

5. Offer to be a guest lecturer. Speaking at your local physical therapy schools to have an impression on the graduating students. You could couple this by promoting apprenticeship programs where you grow your therapists into senior clinicans or clinical directors/management. 

If you’re looking for more strategies on hiring, recruiting or managing your staff, check out our 7 day trial of MEG Academy. The full MEG Academy offers recruiting and hiring courses, as well as personnel managment and onboarding courses.

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